In June, the cut and bloodied Sunny Edwards returned from the occasion of his first defeat by beating Adrian Curiel. He then sat down to watch Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, who inflicted that defeat, impress in victory over Juan Francisco Estrada. In September he will again be ringside when his brother Charlie fights Thomas Essomba, who he manages, and in November he hopes to fight his leading domestic Galal Yafai.
He discussed all, in an extensive Q&A.
BoxingScene: How is the cut healing?
The scar’s a great addition to my face. It plays more into the “bad guy” vibe I’ve been trying to go for.
Looking at November [for a return to the ring].
BS: How do you reflect on your performance?
I boxed well. I listened to the instructions that I was given by my corner team; management team and family and everyone. “Get back to the boxing.” I was a bit frustrated at the timing of the fight being halted. I’m used to fights going 12 rounds, and for it to be stopped prematurely, not for a satisfying reason, I was visibly agitated at that. It’s just a bit disappointing that on a massive stage, in front of a lot of fans – more than I’d ever boxed in front of before – I didn’t really get to see the fight through the way I wanted to do. But I felt like I won every round; I was comfortable there; he wasn’t really making me get out of second gear.
I know Matchroom cut out loads of scenes from the media build-up, because my message was very clear. “A year ago, you all told me he wasn’t good enough to fight me in London; now I’m fighting him. He wasn’t a dangerous fight a year ago, so why is he now?” I knew I was going to beat him, and I proved it. Now on to, hopefully, bigger and better things.
The moment I got back, had my people around me, had some food in me, was watching the fight – I never give myself credit while I’m in there; I have to watch it back to see how good I done – it felt like getting subbed off at half-time. It felt premature – not in a good way. I don’t really dwell on things. I’ve got dreams and ambitions further away – past this – so it was a bit bittersweet, I guess.
BS: Your former opponent Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez was praised after defeating Juan Francisco Estrada that same night. How good is he?
After my last fight, where I got a massive gash in my head, I ran to get stitches, put on my clothes, and come and sit ringside to try and support “Bam”, actually. I respect him massively for being able to do something that no one else has been able to do to me over 12 rounds in a boxing ring. This sport is what I love; I love competing; I love fighting. The feeling I’m addicted to is that moment where I get caught with a shot and that adrenaline spikes all the way up. That’s the feeling I chase. I don’t chase fame. I don’t chase legacy, really. I don’t chase all the other things that other people really do it for. They’re all by-products of success, and I’m ready to receive them and go forward with that. However, the feeling I chase is that of getting involved in a fight, where it centres me so that the only thing that matters is that fight; that adrenaline spike I get.
That chase – that needing to get back in the ring – doesn’t allow me to dwell on the past, or even care that it’s not all in my way. I’m a very good fighter – I’ve been doing this for 20 years. I haven’t really done anything much else. I’ve probably sparred as many or more rounds than any active pro; I love fighting. Just because one night it’s not mine – just because I speak so confidently – I am who I am, and what will be, will be. I will accept the good and take the bad and keep moving forward. I promised myself when I quit boxing and found it again seven months later that this is the only thing for me, because I’ve realised that without getting into the ring and feeling that range of emotions that I crave, I was finding myself finding it outside of a boxing gym for the first time in my life. It’s built in me, and I needed it, and I still need it, and I probably will until the end of my career. Genuinely, I love boxing, I love fighting, so much that regardless of who I’m getting in against or how stacked it is against me, the only thing I genuinely chase is an actual challenge. I will still be doing the same thing and looking for that challenge.
Everyone knows the fight they’re trying to make. Former opponent, Olympic gold medallist, Galal Yafai, and after that it looks like the only really logical explanation would be the winner of Kenshiro Teraji versus Cristopher Rosales. That looks like my two next fights, and I’d be happy to. After coming off a loss against the best fighter in the division – top five, pound for pound – going against a former world champion in Curiel, then Olympic gold medallist in Galal, then it’s a world champion in Rosales or Teraji. I just want the challenges. I don’t need a perfect record or for everyone to think I’m good at boxing. I just need to find a ring to go and fight in.
BS: In the build-up to fighting Curiel how much was your confidence affected by that first defeat?
If anything, my experience was getting caught with a shot, a lead hand, and it breaking my face and doubling my vision, and it was blurry and it was moving and there was two of them. That’s my perception of what happened. I then stood there toe to toe, and went punch for punch. Maybe I was getting outworked; outscored; out-powered; out-everything. But I probably get more belief from the fact that I could barely see and barely see the range, and I’m standing there against one of the best in the division, and we were going blow for blow – and it weren’t the fight that got to me at the end in the ring, and the reason why the fight was stopped. It wasn’t even the knockdown. It was the accumulative damage that had been done to my face since the second round. My trainer wanted to stop it a round earlier; I wouldn’t let him. My, “Go and do something this round”, was about two-and-a-half minutes of better than the last nine minutes, then getting hit with probably the biggest shot of my career. Now it was time, and I accepted Grant’s [Smith, my trainer] decision, and we live to fight another day. But at no point did I feel completely outmatched. At no point do I feel like we couldn’t go through all that again and I wouldn’t feel just as confident of winning. If anything, I feel like if my eye don’t go in the second round, I’m definitely gonna win. In my opinion I won three of the first four rounds on two of the scorecards. I feel like I was in a good state, even with the damaged face. It just became very, very, very hard to keep my focus mentally against someone physically and mentally so good in Bam, and I’ll give him all that props. I’ll keep chasing his tail, and he’s setting the pace right now at these weights, and that’s what I need. I need people in front of me to chase down; that motivate me; that make me up my game. I’m on it. My mind’s switched. If anything that loss has given me that, more than taken anything away from me.
BS: He’s been spoken of as the biggest threat to Naoya Inoue…
I definitely think he’s one of the best fighters in the world – as I do myself. That’s why the fight was so good. Naoya Inoue is an absolute monster, but it’s a fight I’d love to see. When you’re dealing with this level of fighters, you’re dealing with a group of fighters rather than a one, two, three, four, five. When you have that much physical ability and understanding of a boxing ring – he has the chance to be one of the ones that challenges Naoya Inoue. Would I heavily favour him? Probably not. Inoue is one of the most phenomenal fighters there’s ever been.
BS: What’s next for you?
They’ve mentioned November; they’ve mentioned one place where they want it. We haven’t got to the nitty-gritty of the getting things over the line just yet – I’m not sure what the holdup is; hopefully sooner rather than later… – [but] he’s the only name that has been mentioned to me. Which is fine by me. The way my mind’s been is I beat him in the amateurs; because of old friends and older brothers and relationships, and maybe geographical reasons… I got on [Team] GB the weekend after Galal did. I beat him that year to get there. In that time of us training on the same squad together I felt very comfortable in sparring, and I can remember some of the things that some of the coaches said during those sparring sessions. After my four months on the squad I made a very quick and obvious observation of what was going on around me. A fighter that I had beat no less than six months ago had been sent to five different tournaments, WSB internationals – five – while I was waiting for my first trip out of the blocks. From that moment I felt like the system was against me. “Another place where my face don’t fit.” It happened on England as well. But winning the ABAs, and in my opinion dancing on everyone in sparring, I thought would be enough to [overcome] those forces against me.
Eight years later that same coach [Rob McCracken] is working with that same fighter that I got pushed aside for. Even though Galal’s a friend of mine, and I do actually like him, the moment he turned over, the message from me has been simple. “Whenever they’re ready for the fight, they’ll get it, because that’s my Olympic gold medal on his head.” That I should have had and never got the opportunity, because my face didn’t fit.
It’s like a rival. You grow up in sport – you can still like someone, but their career bothers you. I think he’s cool. He’s sound. I’ve got no problem with Galal the person. [But] Galal’s career has rubbed me up the wrong way for a fucking long time. A very, very long time.
I like Rob as well. Rob’s cool. But just because I’m in there; I have to watch it back to see how good I done – it felt like getting subbed off at half-time. It felt premature – not in a good way. I don’t really dwell on things. I’ve got dreams and ambitions further away – past this – so it was a bit bittersweet, I guess.
BS: Your former opponent Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez was praised after defeating Juan Francisco Estrada that same night. How good is he?
After my last fight, where I got a massive gash in my head, I ran to get stitches, put on my clothes, and come and sit ringside to try and support “Bam”, actually. I respect him massively for being able to do something that no one else has been able to do to me over 12 rounds in a boxing ring. This sport is what I love; I love competing; I love fighting. The feeling I’m addicted to is that moment where I get caught with a shot and that adrenaline spikes all the way up. That’s the feeling I chase. I don’t chase fame. I don’t chase legacy, really. I don’t chase all the other things that other people really do it for. They’re all by-products of success, and I’m ready to receive them and go forward with that. However, the feeling I chase is that of getting involved in a fight, where it centres me so that the only thing that matters is that fight; that adrenaline spike I get.
That chase – that needing to get back in the ring – doesn’t allow me to dwell on the past, or even care that it’s not all in my way. I’m a very good fighter – I’ve been doing this for 20 years. I haven’t really done anything much else. I’ve probably sparred as many or more rounds than any active pro; I love fighting. Just because one night it’s not mine – just because I speak so confidently – I am who I am, and what will be, will be. I will accept the good and take the bad and keep moving forward. I promised myself when I quit boxing and found it again seven months later that this is the only thing for me, because I’ve realised that without getting into the ring and feeling that range of emotions that I crave, I was finding myself finding it outside of a boxing gym for the first time in my life. It’s built in me, and I needed it, and I still need it, and I probably will until the end of my career. Genuinely, I love boxing, I love fighting, so much that regardless of who I’m getting in against or how stacked it is against me, the only thing I genuinely chase is an actual challenge. I will still be doing the same thing and looking for that challenge.
Everyone knows the fight they’re trying to make. Former opponent, Olympic gold medallist, Galal Yafai, and after that it looks like the only really logical explanation would be the winner of Kenshiro Teraji versus Cristopher Rosales. That looks like my two next fights, and I’d be happy to. After coming off a loss against the best fighter in the division – top five, pound for pound – going against a former world champion in Curiel, then Olympic gold medallist in Galal, then it’s a world champion in Rosales or Teraji. I just want the challenges. I don’t need a perfect record or for everyone to think I’m good at boxing. I just need to find a ring to go and fight in.
